The Petit Robert, is such a fixture on the French language scene that it's difficult to believe that it hasn't been around for centuries but, in fact, the dictionary is just forty years old. France magazine offers us an interview with a man who helped to create it, Alain Rey, and who now serves as creative director. Rey has a common sense approach to the French language and its changes. He believes that the Petit Robert is popular among non-native speakers because it has new, everyday words, and -- perhaps more importantly -- features phonetic pronunciations of its entries. The interview covers topics like why he includes verlan (a French slang) and his approach to foreign terms, interesting stuff that makes me regret not buying that copy of the Micro Robert that I had in my hands in Cambridge the other day. Back to the book store!
French speakers: there's a Le Robert website, mostly devoted to sales and background. The on-line dictionary requires a subscription.



Rerun: La Langue
It seems as if I’ve been trying to learn how to speak French for decades, and if you count intervals, I have. I could almost write a version of The Twelve Days of Days of Christmas:
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